An Arkansas resolution that would direct state officials to extend medical marijuana authorizations to be valid for two years instead of one, while greatly reducing the cost for seniors and veterans, has been adopted by the Senate.
Senate Resolution 54 was filed by Senator Clint Penzo on April 3, and was passed by the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee the same day. Just three days later the resolution has now been “Read the third time and adopted” by the full Senate. Given it’s a resolution and not a bill, it does not need approval by the House of Representatives prior to adoption.
The resolution directs the Department of Health to “promulgate a rule to extend the annual renewal for registry identification cards for qualifying patients from one (1) year to two (2) years without increasing the annual fee.”
The resolution also calls on the department to “promulgate a rule that discounts the fee for registry identification cards for qualifying patients by fifty percent (50%) for seniors and veterans.”
The resolution states that upon adoption “the Department
of Health is encouraged to expeditiously initiate rulemaking on this matter.”
The preamble for SR 54 states:
WHEREAS, the adoption of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2016, Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 98, established the Medical Marijuana Program; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Finance and Administration model predicted thirty thousand (30,000) Arkansans would participate in the program; and
WHEREAS, today, over ninety-two thousand (92,000) people hold active registry identification cards for qualifying patients; and
WHEREAS, seniors and veterans are participants in the program,
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS
